Within the pages of this guide you will find expert advice and step-by-step exercises from professional artists on how to draw people, animals, objects, landscapes and buildings, along with tips on the best kit to buy for the task. From human hands and feet, to fur, feathers and forests, let our team of experts help you to enhance your artwork and empower you to take on even the most challenging projects in no time. Pick up your pencil and let’s get started.
Welcome to Beginner’s Guide to DRAWING
Paint & Draw Beginner’s Guide to Drawing
Get started in pencil drawing • Jake Spicer explores simple techniques for improving your lines
Colour theory • Whether you have half an hour or an afternoon to spare, follow these quick, simple and fun tips and start experimenting with your art today!
Understanding the human form • There’s more to life drawing than re-creating what you see in front of you. Philip Tyler explores the inner workings of the human body to inform your sketches
How to begin a figure drawing • Good figure drawing begins with gesture, says Chris Legaspi, which can be learned and mastered quickly with the right set of tools
The head • Lancelot Richardson details a process for drawing the head, including from different angles, and how to draw the features
The hands • Lancelot Richardson introduces how to draw hands, looking at the gestural behaviour and ways to express complex details
The whole figure • Apply fundamental observational drawing methods to address common challenges when drawing the complete figure, says Lancelot Richardson
Improve portraits with layers • Jake Spicer reveals how gradually adding detail will help you achieve a more engaging and accomplished portrait
Introduction to drawing and shading a figure • Learn the basic techniques you need to draw and shade a figure in 20 minutes or less
The basics • Whether you have half an hour or an afternoon to spare, follow these quick, simple and fun tips and start experimenting with your art today!
Create lush, dense fur in pastels • Following on from her eyes tutorial, Jill Tisbury explains how to create accurate and realistic fur
Capture bird feathers • Drawing feathers requires a different technique, as explored by Ivan Jones
Build up texture in animal horns • Eugenia Hauss reveals the techniques you need to perfect textures
Map out face shapes • Break down complex faces into simple to digest shapes, explains Jill Tisbury
Use proportional dividers • Jill Tisbury explains how to make the most of this handy tool
Approaching Indian ink • Don’t be afraid of Indian ink, says Steven Hughes, as the creative potential is unlimited
Improve your pencil shading • Discover how Melanie Phillips uses a selection of pencils to draw a pencil portrait that captures a pet’s unique personality on paper
Master textures • Lancelot Richardson shows you how to render naturalistic textures for a variety of animals in different media
Sketching moving subjects • James Gurney shares the strategies that help him capture humans and animals that just won’t sit still…
Build organic textures • Eugenia Hauss guides you through her process of creating beautiful and realistic natural textures using ink liners and a brush pen
The delicious art of coloured pencils • Follow Steven E Hughes as he shares his process for creating a variety of surface textures in coloured pencil
Drawing a landscape in pencil • Lancelot Richardson shows how to draw a landscape, including common features like clouds, rocks and plants
Drawing with pastels and Conté crayons • Rebecca de Mendonça shares her love of drawing with pastels and Conté Crayons, capturing the...
